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Eastern Orthodoxy
A Christian Faith that believes in Jesus Christ as both Son of God and God, and in the Seven Ecumenical Councils of the Church. God is defined as the Holy Trinity, which is One God in Three Persons (God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit). The statement of the Orthodox Christian faith is the Nicene Creed.
752 Questions
What is the difference between Catholic and Greek Orthodox weddings?
Catholic and Greek Orthodox weddings differ primarily in their rituals and theological emphasis. In a Catholic wedding, the focus is often on the exchange of vows and rings, and the ceremony typically includes a Mass. In contrast, Greek Orthodox weddings involve a rich set of traditions, such as the Crowning Ceremony, where the couple is crowned with stefana, symbolizing their unity and the glory of God. Additionally, while both traditions recognize the sacramental nature of marriage, the Greek Orthodox Church places a stronger emphasis on communal celebration and the importance of the community in the sacrament.
When do Orthodox Christians go to mass?
They should go every Sunday, and at other times during the week when the Divine Liturgy (mass) is held. Not all Orthodox Christians go each week, but it is a requirement that they should not miss a Liturgy for more than 3 Sundays in a row.
Why did the Eastern Orthodox Schism happen?
The Great Schism occurred in 1054, separating Christendom into two halves. The East became Eastern Orthodox and the West became Roman Catholic.
Approximately how many orthodox Catholics are there in the world?
This depends on the size of the church. In a small church, there is usually only one priest. A larger church may have one or two priests and a deacon. Large cathedrals may have 5-10 or more priests. Hierarchical liturgies can see 50 or more priests, bishops, deacons, and seminarians. But in the typical Orthodox church, you will find probably just one priest.
How many Greek Orthodox Christian followers are there world-wide?
There are about 20,000,000 Greeks in the world on the basis of their ethnicity. Eleven million of them are officially 'Greeks' who live in Greece and have the Greek nationality. An additional three million in the US claim Greek ancestry, as do two million people in Turkey. Add to that an educated guess about every other person of Greek descent who is at least 25% Greek (many countries simply don't keep track) living elsewhere in the world, and "somewhere over twenty million" is a conservative guess.
In Latin "pascha" means Passover,(Easter); Greek "paskha"; in Aramaic "pas;" In Hebrew "pesa; Pesach. Adapted in Christianity as: Jesus, our Paschal Lamb... The Sacrifice for the forgiveness... as the passover lambs were sacrificed on the altar in the Temple, so did Jesus sacrifice himself on the altar of the cross.
What are the differences between Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy?
The Oriental Church broke away from the Eastern Orthodox Church during the 4th Ecumenical Council in Chalcedon. They differ from the Orthodox Church in that they are Monophysites, meaning they believe Christ only has one Nature which is divine and not two natures divine and human like the rest of Christendom.
What churches were created from the split of the Roman Catholic Church?
One Answer
The "Great Schism" of the Rome based Christian Church developed between the Western and Eastern Christian churches in 1054 CE. Until that time, Eastern Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism were branches of the same "One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church" with Rome as its seat of power and the Pope as its leader. The formal split that occurred officially in 1054 was the result of long-standing tensions over the Roman church's claim to universal authority as well as a mix of religious, cultural and political differences.
The final battle occurred when the Eastern church patriarch of Constantinople, Michael Cerularius, refused to allow the Pope, Leo IX, to have authority over the Eastern branch of the church. Cerularius strongly condemned the Western Church for some of its practices. In 1054, a delegation led by Cardinal Humbert was sent from Rome to Constantinople. The meetings were a complete disaster that resulted in the excommunication of Cerularius. He convened his bishops, excommunicated many of them who chose to follow Rome, excommunicated the Pope, and the Eastern Orthodox Church was officially founded with Constantinople as its seat of power.
After the collapse of the Byzantine Empire in 1453, the Eastern Orthodox Church, except for Russia, came under the jurisdiction of the Ottoman Turks. After the end of the Ottoman Empire in the nineteenth century, independent churches arose. Although they retain their communion with one another they remain independent.
During the latter half of the twentieth century overtures were made toward reconciliation and a series of meetings brought the two churches closer together although they remain separate and distinct. You can read more about the Great Schism and other schisms in Christendom at the links provided below.
The Protestant Reformation resulted in a split of the Western Roman Catholic Church during the Middle Ages. In 1517 CE Martin Luther drafted an official protest to the practice of the unrestricted sale of Indulgences: the remission of punishment due for sins committed and the pardoning of guilt. Rome had been using the selling of Indulgences to build its treasury for centuries. The Protestant Reformers attacked other church practices including the belief in purgatory, devotion to Mary and the saints, many of the sacraments, celibacy for the clergy and the authority of the Pope.
The Protestant reformation brought about two different types of Christianity: the Roman Catholic Church and the Protestant churches. Several traditions emerged from the Protestant branch. You can read more about them at the link provided below.
What was the beginning of schism between Roman and eastern orthodox churches?
The first Unified Church began in 325, when Emperor Constantine of the Roman Empire declared Christianity the religion of the empire, he then called an Ecumenical Council (this was the first) where all of the separate churches (which had been practicing in hiding during the pagan era) came together to sort out their differences and become on Holy Orthodox Church.
Within this group were Egyptian, Greek, Thracian, Roman, Gual, Antioch and Palestinian churches and more, they ironed out traditions relative to Easter, language, Icons, marriage, wars, politics, and everything the Orthodox church continues today.
It was decided that each church would rule its own set of churches based on geography and language. Each church would follow the same stature, but language was to be the common language of the people (mostly that was Latin or Greek at the time). In the 9th century, Rome was sacked, the city was dead and the eastern empire flourished. The west lay in ruin. France, Spain, and the Italian States and England had been conquered by feudal leaders and the church remained. But crime, and terror were high and they needed a strong unifying leader to end the wars.
In the 10th century the western Churches, of France, England Spain and Italy formed the Catholic Orthodox Church (a branch of Orthodox faith such as Greek, or Russian Orthodox). Under the Catholic Church they were ruled in disputably by one man (Pope) and many traditions were changed, such as marriage of priests, days of holidays like Easter. In 1031 on top of numerous often views as violent and corrupt changes, the Catholic Church severed ties with the Eastern Orthodox churches.
Today there can never again be an Ecumenical Council as there were before the Schism, because it would require all of the original foundations of the Orthodox Church including the severed Catholic Church...
Why is the color purple so important during Lent?
The reason why the colour purple is used during Great Lent is because the Bible tells us that Pilate and his soldiers placed a purple robe on Jesus, just before His crucifixion. (Mark 15:16-20) "...they put on Him a purple robe. Then they said, Hail, King of the Jews!" (John 19:1-5).
What year did protestants split from the Roman Catholic Church?
1517, the year when Martin Luther nailed the 95 Theses Against Indulgences on the door of the Castle Church at Wittenburg , is commonly seen as the year when the Protestant Reformation began. However, it is difficult to say precisely when an actual split occurred as there were a number of protestant groups and quite a number of negotiations occurring at this time.
Luther himself remained a Catholic for some years and originally was aiming for reform. So an actual split occurred gradually, although there were a number of key events such as the Diet of Worms in 1521, where the vote went against Luther and he was then 'kidnapped' and hidden for his own protection. Prior to this he had burned a Papal Bull on December 10, 1520, indicating the firmness of his conviction regarding his own works (the Bull had called for the burning of Luther's Works). After he came out of Wartburg Castle where he had been hidden he continued the work of church reform, particularly in worship.
There are consecutive protestant histories also going on at this time and also a little later with other Protestant groups involving such people as Zwingli and Calvin.
Who is the leader of Orthodox Christian?
Even though there are different patriarchs for the 12 branches of The Orthodox Church, The Ecumenical Patriarch is currently Bartholomew I .
Can unmarried parents baptize their baby in the greek orthodox church?
Yes, so long as they agree to raise their children according to the beliefs of the Orthodox Christian faith.
Can two siblings have the same godfather in the greek orthodox church?
In most faiths, yes. Having different godparents is usually because of a desire to honor more than one person.
The Catholic cross has two bars, with the bottom vertical bar being longer than the top bar.
The Orthodox cross has three bars, as it has an extra slanted bar at the bottom.
Do people of the Eastern Orthodox church wear special clothing?
Women should dress rerspectfully as thay are ina holy place.
They should never wear pants like jeans, only skirts which should be at the knee in length(not too high above the knee). They should wear tops that don't show cleavage and are respectful. Any shoes can be worn but not too high as that is uncomfortable and you dont want to be uncomfortable at church, a place where we come to pray and heal our souls.
The Great Schism was between the who?
It was between The Orthodox Church and The Roman Catholic Church.It was at this point when Pope and Patriarch excommunicated each other and were on the verge of war.
Roman Catholic AnswerIn the Catholic Church, the "Great Schism" usually refers to the Western schism when there were two, sometimes, three claimants to the papal throne. The pope had moved to Avignon, in France; another Pope was elected in Rome. This went on from 1378 until 1417. The Schism of the East in 1054 was between the Catholic Church and what is now called the Orthodox Church, is sometimes now in popular cultures as "the Great Schism". But, as I said, it is confusing as that technically refers to the Schism of the West not the East.Missionaries from the Byzantine Empire
Do orthodox churches believe in Mary?
Yes, of course. Honoring the Virgin Mary as the 'Bearer of God' (Theotokos) and as the Mother of God is an essential part of the whole Christian Faith. (Third Ecumenical Council, 431 AD). Even the angel of God (Archangel Gabriel) greeted Mary with respect and honor: "Rejoice highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!" (Luke 1:28). So are we greater than the angels of God? No, therefore, we must also honor her and call her blessed.
What present day countries are located in that area where the orthodox church developed?
Technically there is no such thing as a "Greek Church." Most of the country of Greece is Orthodox. Orthodoxy is a world religion and can can be found in just about every country.
How many years between Adam and Jesus?
What happens at a Russian orthodox church service?
Depends how traditional or long you want to get?
The Coptic Orthodox church has three liturgies St.Basil,St.Cyril and St.Gregory
The original length of St.Basil is 6 hrs,St.Cyril 4 hrs and St.Gregory is 6 hrs
However they mainly use St.Basil liturgy to memorize it and become familiar with it because it will be hard to memorize all three however the others are usually performed when it's the feast day or occasion of saint Cyril/Gregory.
The liturgy is shortened to about 3 hrs with today's social life work etc
Prior to the liturgy there is an Orthros, or Matins, a separate service which lasts 40 minutes to an hour in both Coptic and Greek churches.
The Greek Orthodox church uses St.Basil's and St. John Chrysostom liturgies which are similar. The Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom is used most frequently lasting between 90 minutes to two hours. St Basil's Liturgy is served during the Lenten season. The prayers are longer than those in St. John Chrysostom's Liturgy.
So to answer your question briefly the typical Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom in the Orthodox church is about 2 hours
What is the origin of The Eastern Orthodox Church?
The Orthodox Church was founded by Jesus Himself in the year 33 AD, on the Day of Pentecost. According to Orthodox Christian beliefs, the Orthodox Church has always existed from the beginning of time (called the Church Triumphant) but the physical church on earth (called the Church Militant) was established in Jerusalem in 33 AD and continues to exist to this day without any changes to its dogmas and beliefs.
Its purpose is to bring salvation to its members through belief in the Lord Jesus Christ as Son of God and Saviour of the world.
Both the Orthodox and Catholics claim to have started at the same time, when there was no such thing as Orthodox and Catholic, and there was only the Universal Christian Church. So they both shared a common foundation for the first 1,000 years of their history.
However, from the year 1054 AD, which is generally regarded as the Great Schism (or split) in the Universal Church, the two have been known by the names of Orthodox and Catholic.
The Orthodox Church claims that the Roman Catholics split from the Body of the Church mainly because of Papal claims of supremacy over the Church, and unauthorized change to the Nicene Creed (the 'filioque' clause), which was not accepted by anyone else at that time.
Do Eastern Orthodox churches ordain women?
It's just Catholic, not Roman Catholic. Roman is an epithet first commonly used in England after the protestant revolt to describe the Catholic Church. It is never used by the official Catholic Church.
No, Bishops, priests, and deacons are ordained to be figures of Christ, who was a man. In Christian theology, the Church, and the people of God are represented as the feminine, the spouse of the Lord, who is the Head. Bridal imaginary is used throughout the Bible to represent Christ/God and His Church. Thus the clergy as being "other Christs" must be male as this is how Our Blessed Lord set things up. Our duty is to believe in humble obedience.
